Ipomoea
by Soaring Keys
Summary: Screams resonate through the long, dark hallways, choking off with tormented gurgles. Alone, tired and injured, she runs. The shadows surround her and she wonders if it's the leering darkness or the failed experiments that will kill her first. Hope was gone and she had nothing left to hold onto. Until a light smiles down on her. (1-shot!)


**Ipomoea**

Her feet drummed heavily against the hardwood floor. Its worn wood creaked under her weight, the sound caused her heart to beat frantically in panic. Idly, she registered another creak echoing behind her.

_They're coming closer_.

Her breathing came out in heavy pants. Her hair flickered wildly in the wind of her run. A scream nearby had her skidding to a stop, her heels digging roughly into the gnarled floor. She listened closely to the scream, her chest lifting and falling rapidly as her eyes grew wider the longer the screamed carried, until finally the poor shinobi was put out of their misery. Their screams ending with a devastating gurgle and splatter.

Tears welled up in her baby blue eyes as she stole a fatal moment to collect herself. She breathed heavily; sucking in air through her nose before blowing it out of her mouth. A few stray tears leaked from her eyes and ran across her sweaty, sticky cheeks, dripping off her chin and dissolving into the rotting wood. She thanked whatever god was perched upstairs, for the traditional ANBU masks they obligated to bear. It was bad enough that her body trembled with fear; she didn't need _them _having the satisfaction that she had cried during her last moments of life.

_Come on, Ino. Get your act together._

A loud, tormented crack resonated through the narrow halls. She turned and quickly studied the shadows.

They were grinning at her, taunting her and spoiling the end of this story for her.

_You're going to die. _

They sang as they danced across the floorboards, the flickering flaming torches that hung on the walls aided in their dance, creating a crackling melody for their haunting lyrics._ You're going to die here. All alone. All alone._

_All alone…_

She ran, blocking out their treacherous voices. She ran and ran, her feet thumped across the creaking floorboards.

She suddenly lurched forward. Her body viciously crashing against the worn, rotting wood of the floor, her head was saved by her crushed mask. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe and couldn't fight as the voices came back with a vengence. The shadows danced around her.

_No one to save you. You're all alone. No one to save a poor defenseless girl like you!_

She curled up on her side, her body aching horrendously as she covered her ears in a poor attempt to block out their sickeningly joyful singing. Their pitch grew louder and higher in their song with no rhyme and only the cackle of fire as their melody.

_Weak, little, lonely girl! About to die, about to die! All on her own. _

"No." she rasped. "No…"

There was another loud, threatening crack. She curled in on herself tighter as she shut her eyes. She prayed they wouldn't draw out her pain for as long as they did the others. She was a ninja. She had accepted that she would possibly die at an early age as soon as she enrolled into the academy, and strengthen her vow to protect the village with her life when she took on the rank of ANBU.

Another creak echoed around her. She winced when she heard footsteps pounding against the tormented wood, closer and closer they came. She tightened her hold around herself and shut her eyes, her hands cupping her ears until all she heard were the shadow's taunting song and a dull ringing.

A rough calloused hand suddenly ran through her hair.

She flinched back and yelped. Fear caused her body's reaction, but her mouth remained shut.

She wouldn't lower herself to plead for her life. She'd rather die before that happens.

The hands retreated, and for a blissful moment she thought they had left her alone, most likely thinking she was so deranged that she would simply die on her own, consumed by her own madness, her body will rot along with the wood.

She bit down on her bottom lip as those same hands came back, scooping her up by her knees and back, cradling her slim-muscled body against a hard-muscled chest. From what she could feel this person, this man, had the strength to break her like a toothpick and cast away her remains. His hand alone, was close enough to her neck to fold it until the fragile bone that connected her neck and spine snapped.

Yet, he held her carefully. His arms firmly holding her against his chest, one hand rubbed against her back in soothing patterns. She thought she could hear him whispering reassurances to her. He was careful not to jostle her wounds too much and she only winced occasionally when he touched a particularly fragile bruise.

It didn't take long until he placed her down, her back coming in contact with a fabricated ground. She felt some of her clothing shift, but panic didn't settle. She didn't think she would be raped nor was she going to be tormented, the man wasn't giving out a malevolent aura or any sort of intent. She could feel a gauze cover her wounds and another piece of cloth wrap around her waist, where a shuriken had grazed her from an earlier battle.

The fear seeped away and churned into anger.

Slowly, her curiosity won over and she opened her eyes a sliver to study her mystical savior or near demise. If he was only fixing her up in order to play with her fragile body more, than she wanted to see him and battle him through eye contact.

She couldn't see much at first, due to the darkened room, but there was a small line of light that trailed under, what she assumed was, a door. It took a while. But her eyes finally adjusted and she could make out the silhouette of the man's muscular body and wild hair.

He was knelt over her body, his hands working on her aching, wounded muscles with trained ease. From what she could tell, his physical state wasn't better off than her's.

She allowed her hands to drop as she saw his hand trail too close to her bust. She quickly grabbed his large hand and held it weakly above her, her body too weak to do anything more than a simply grab. The man quickly turned towards her and breathed a sigh, she wasn't sure if it was out of relief or disappointment, but she'd bet on the latter.

"You're back." He said, his voice sounded raw, but it was familiar. She knew that voice, but her state of mind was blocking out her any thoughts of recognition and refilling it with those of suspicion.

"Who are you?" She near snarled as she attempt to sit up, falling onto her back as a wave of pain shot through her system. "What do you want from me?"

The man seemed to relax where he kneeled. His head seemed to bob in a nod as he held out his other hand up, to prove he was unarmed. "Ino, calm down. It's me, Naruto Uzumaki." He stated slowly as he leaned forward to cast some of the dim light onto his features. She instantly recognized the dazzling, blue eyes and sun blessed, blonde hair. "You know; the annoyance of the village, the number one knuckleheaded ninja and the bane of your existence?" He chuckled breathlessly as he grinned his trademark foxy grin. "I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can come up with at the moment."

Ino gasped, having long since connected the dots and understood that the man was a savior of the noblest kind. "Naru-to." She tested, the name rolling off her tongue in a whisper. "Naruto." She repeated the name so familiar on her lips, but the tone was diffrent than usual. It was too quiet, too gentle, from her usual scream and scowl.

Naruto smiled tight-lipped as he nodded. "Yeah, Ino… Naruto."

"Naruto!" She nearly shrieked as she founded a burst of energy to throw herself onto his chest, her hands clutched onto bare-skin. She dimly noted that the cloth he had used to dress her wounds was his own shirt, which left him bare-chested. Yet, his skin felt warm and moist against her touch. "Where are we, Naruto? What… what are _they_?"

She felt Naruto draw in a deep breath before releasing it into her hair, his warm breath brought comfort on her frazzled mind. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back. She felt their bodies jostle as they hit a wall and he readjusted her so she was straddling his lap more comfortably. "This position really isn't good for your wounds." He commented, his breath ghosting over her neck and she buried her face into his.

"I don't care." She nearly snarled as she sunk her fingers into his rough skin. "Please, what do you know?"

Naruto sighed as he leaned his head back as well. A slight thump resonated in the four walls that encased them as his head hit against the wall. "I'm not too sure myself, Ino." He informed her, his tone lower than before with a hint of exasperation. "Granny Tsunade had said it was meant to be a simple recon mission." His fingers tightened around her legs, sinking into her skin. "It was supposed to be abandoned, but we- I should've known better. This was _Orochimaru's _abandoned warehouse. My best guess is that those _things _out there are his forgotten experiments."

She placed a hand on his, instantly causing him to relax his hold and mutter a quiet apology.

"It wasn't your fault. No one knew that those things were here." Ino tried to reassure him. "If anything… it was that Jackass Nolan's fault." Her words coming out more breathless than the last.

She felt Naruto's chest vibrate as he silently chuckled. "He is- _was_ a new recruit, Ino. He had expected more action then a simple recon."

"Excuse me, but I don't remember a recon mission resulting in blowing up an entire section of the building and succeeding in only awakening those dormant creatures." A shiver ran down her spin as she thought back to what was lurking in the halls.

They're mouths agape, teeth rotting and limbs falling at the joints. From what she could note they used their loose bones as an advantage to bonelessly move through tight passages and avoid any and all sorts of attacks they could make. Even their Jutsus didn't work. No matter how many times they were torn apart or exploded, they'd somehow recollect themselves and multiplied. The more the shinobi fought, the more aggressive those creatures got.

_You're all alone…_

"Ino… Hey, Ino. Come back to me, Ino." Naruto chanted as he shook her shoulders. He jostled her into awareness.

"Naruto… Naruto, we have to get out of here." She whispered frantically as she grabbed at his bare shoulders, her nails tearing into his skin as she sought his eyes. She needed to know she wasn't alone in this horror. She needed to know she wasn't being weak. She just needed to know who she could trust.

Naruto took a moment to meet her eyes and there she saw it. The same fear and panic that were more than likely mirrored in her own, but still his lips slip into an easy-going grin. His hand reached up and rubbed soothing circles on her spine. She knew he needed the physical reassurance as much as she did, perhaps even more.

He had lived most of his life alone; she supposed he definitely didn't want to die alone either.

A gurgled shriek echoed from outside as the sound of _something _scrapped against the wooden boards. She could picture the deformed body of the monster dragging itself through the halls, sniffing and gurgling loudly as it searched for a new prey.

Tears filled her eyes as her breaths came out in pants. Naruto hurried to tuck her head beneath his. His chest was heaving and she could feel his racing pulse beneath her. She risked a glance up and saw him holding onto his own mouth, covering his own breathing in order to be as silent as possible.

A shadow crossed the slight line of light that shone beneath the door. Then it stopped.

The creature sniffled and gurgled just beyond the door. Naruto turned my head away from the sight, but could do little to block out the sounds. It lapped at the door, jerking on the knob and suckled on its teeth. This continued for several hour-like long minutes until finally it dragged its own mangled body down the hall.

We remained silent for several more minutes. It was Naruto who broke the tense atmosphere. The hand that had been cupping his own mouth dropped gently onto her head, his fingers stroked through her hair. He was playing the embodiment of calm, unlike his usual hyperactive nature.

"Hey, Ino…" He whispered, winning her attention as he continued to stroke through her

platinum blonde hair. "You're a florist, right? Tell me what your favorite flower is?"

She looked up and saw him staring at the sliver of light that seeped from the door. His hands were moving absentmindedly across her body, petting her like he would a dog.

"What does that ha-"

"Tell me what your favorite flower is, please." He repeated. His jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed towards that meager source of light. "Tell me and I promise, I will get it for you once we escape." He tore his gaze away from the door and met her eyes head-on.

And there it was. That set determination, the unwillingness to back out of a fight and a stubbornness that would put a bull to shame. He wasn't the embodiment of calm, he was the embodiment of hope and light. His matted blonde hair was shining brightly in the dim lighting and his eyes glimmered with a thousand years of optimism. This was Naruto. This was the strength that only belonged to the man that held her.

A strength she wanted to claim.

Suddenly, her heart was racing, and it wasn't because of the creatures that were roaming the halls outside. She knew exactly which flower she would want him to give her.

"I want an Ipomoea." She stated, her eyes narrowing as well.

Naruto nodded, a smirk lifted the right side of his mouth. "As soon as we get out, I will get it for you."

Ino couldn't help it. He was contagious. A smirk lifted her lips as well. "You better."

* * *

Naruto held out his hand in a stopping motion as he leaned heavily against the wall. Ino was quick to follow, flattening herself against the wall while clutching onto a kunai for protection. A gurgle came from around the corner, along with a distinctive scrapping.

Naruto held out 3 fingers. Slowly, he lowered one. Then another. One finger was suspended in the air as he peered over the corner.

Suddenly that fell as well and he was gone around the corner. Ino didn't have much time to blink until she heard the startled gurgle and the squelching of a kunai sinking into flesh, followed shortly by a splatter. Once she rounded the corner, she saw the creature's twitching body withering on the ground and Naruto's bloodied, tanned back.

"Hurry, it won't stay down for long." Naruto stated, casting a quick glance over his shoulder before jogging cautiously down the corridor. Her eyes widened as she hurried to catch up, her wounds slowing her down.

"Na-Naruto." She called breathlessly before leaning against the wall in a slump, clutching at the pain in her side. "Naru-to, give me a moment."

The blonde turned and ran back to her, without missing a beat he threw her onto his back as if she was weightless. "We'll get out of here together." He said as he began his jog down the corridor. "If you're in pain, tell me. I would never judge you for that. It is okay to be scared, you know."

Ino bit her lip, but soon tightened her hold around his brawny neck. Another gurgle sounded through the corridor, but this time it was far behind them. Naruto picked up his pace and began trying to navigate through the long hallways.

"I'm afraid of ghosts, you know." Naruto suddenly stated as he shifted his hands beneath her thighs, jumping her higher on his back. "The whole undead thing is just, well, creepy."

Ino nearly giggled, but instead she breathed heavily through her nose. "And this situation isn't?"

Naruto did chuckle, a deep, throaty and breathless sound that jostled her on his back. "Oh, if you weren't here I'd be trembling in a corner."

"So this is another attempt to show off?"

He skidded around a sharp turn. His breathing was beginning to become layered as he pushed forward. "Not at all." He stated, his voice sounded strained. "It's just... now I have someone to protect."

Ino was silent after that. Her heart was touched by the rawness in his voice. Yet, there was something wrong with that statement. Something deeply wrong.

"You should protect yourself, as well, you know. You're incredibly valuable." She muttered against his neck. She felt him shiver slightly, but passed it off as the cold wind hitting his bare skin, the poor man was still bare-chested, seeing as he insisted on her wearing his ANBU flak-vest because of the fact that her's had been shredded horribly.

"Oh, trust me, Ino… I know."

She didn't have time to ponder on what he meant until he began skidding around another corner, only to see roughly 6 more of those hideous creatures blocking a door. They seemed to be clawing at it, trying their best to wrench the door open, but they were being stopped by some sort of invisible force.

Her eyes widened with realization as a sprout of joy bloomed inside her chest. "Orochimaru must've feared them as well." She whispered as low as she could in his ear being as silent as possible. "He must've placed a jutsu around the building to never let them escape."

Naruto nodded and silently released his hold on her, slipping her off his back and safely onto her feet. He met her eyes once, shushing her by placing a finger against his mouth and then proceeded to take out 2 shurikens. Again, he held out 3 fingers, this time she was ready.

As soon as the last finger lowered, they both went into action, slicing down the creature enough to slow them down and, with a powerful burst of strength from Naruto, the door was nearly torn off its hinges and revealed the luscious greens of the outside.

Ino sucked in the fresh air greedily, dimly hearing the door to the warehouse shut. She took moments to relish in the feeling of getting out of that horror house with her life and body intact, but the feeling quickly diminished when she saw the sorrowful look on Naruto's face.

"We were 6 when we came." He stated as he stared at the warehouse, a large gaping hole on one side, plugged by a pile of those filthy bone-free creatures.

Without saying a word, she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him down to her shorter statue, causing him to fall to his knees and her along with him. She held him tightly against her chest as he shook with the shame of failing their newly recruited ANBU-team and the horrors they had been through.

She bent her head and cried into his hair, kissing the golden strands as she did so. Thanking and blessing them for saving her and refilling her hope, as well as introducing her to another part of the strange man she held.

* * *

"Ino!" A very familiar, masculine voice shouted amongst the crowd of people. She turned around and smiled brightly when she saw the mop of blonde hair bobbing in the crowd. "Ino! Wait up!" He hollered as he neared, finally managing to separate himself from the mass of bodies in order to stand before her, his hands behind his back. "Damn Ino, you're a hard woman to find."

"Oh, you know me, Naruto. Always on the move." She winked as she strolled into the shop, placing the new shipment of roses onto the clerk before turning to converse with the blonde.

"I've noticed!" He whined, pouting out his bottom lip. "You should really appreciate the work I went through to find ya! I even went to Granny Tsunade! She literally threw me out the window." One hand detached itself from his back to rub at his cheek, that did indeed look quite red. "My face had a splendid reunion with the floor."

Ino giggled as she patted his sore cheek before leaning back against the clerk desk, intentionally huffing out her ample chest.

It had been 2 weeks since the disastrous mission and the pair of blondes had gotten closer. But she could never get him to understand her willingness to push this friendship further. They connected in the warehouse in a way she had never connected with anyone else, and this made her willing to, at the very least, give whatever relationship she'd have with him a shot.

Unfortunately she had to fall for the densest ninja in all of history. Even Rock Lee had finally come to terms that Sakura never was and never will be interested him and has set his eyes on another prize, TenTen. But Naruto wouldn't be able to understand the fact that someone was flirting with him if they so much as kissed him right then and there.

An action that she had thought of doing several times, but resisted that urge quickly. That would more than likely confuse him into oblivion.

Shaking her head to relinquish the thoughts, she pinched her lips into a smug smile as she eyed the arm still behind his back. "So whatcha got there? A present for me?"

Naruto sputtered, before nervously nodding his head. His face bloomed red as he suddenly drew his hand out from behind and thrusted the boxed object into her hands. "I'm sorry it took so long." He began sheepishly as he kicked at tiny specks of rocks on the ground. "It took me a while to find out what kind it was and even longer to hunt it down. You sure do know how to pick 'em, eh? Only the best for Ino-chan!" He exclaimed with a loud nervous laugh followed by a cocky wink.

Ino cocked an eyebrow as she kept her grin in place, her nimble fingers unwrapping the box. "What are you talking ab-" a gasp escaped her lips before she could finish the sentence. She studied the beautiful, blue flower that was delicately cradled in white, silk fabric. Her fingers cautiously reached out and stroked the soft petals in wonder.

A laugh interrupted her thoughts. "You are one sly woman, Ino. D'you know that?" Naruto

commented. He was closer than he originally had been. Only an arms-length away, but that seemed to be rapidly closing.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, genuinely confused, her mind befuddled by the gift to register much else.

He chuckled as he stepped closer, his hand grabbing onto her waist and pulling her towards him. "I told you, I had to find out what sort of flower an Ipomoea was. I researched it thoroughly and also found out what it meant. You don't really think I'm that dense, do you?" He smirked as he pulled her flush against himself.

Ino's eyes widened as she realized what was going on, the box slipped from her fingers, falling gracefully to the ground. "Naruto… are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I belong to you, Ino." He stated before sealing his promise with a blissful kiss.

A small giggle escaped her as she realized what perfect timing this boy had. Right when she doubted herself and any possibility of a relationship, he just swoops in and claims what could've long been his. He was a light in the midst of darkness and a ray of hope in the times of need.

Above his shoulders she saw fading shadow, dying as the sun's light grew stronger. Their chant has long since quieted. Another giggle escaped her as her lips shifted into a smirk beneath his before she succumbed into the euphoria that was his kiss.

_I'm not alone. Not when I have him. __That knucklehead._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: To state short and simple, I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.**

_**AN/:** _Alright, some of my readers already know about my disability at writing romance... But, if there's one thing I'm actually good at is a good horror story to get the blood pumping... My mother sometimes worries about that... Anywho! I figured I'd, for once, do a mix between romance and horror! I'm actually quite pleased with the way it came out.

_Reviews are highly appreciated ~_

_EDITED (2015, 02, 17): So, recently I got some emails about people still favoriting this story. Of course, at first I was like: Oh yeah! But then I decided to read through it and... well, I kinda hated myself for the crap that I wrote. I appreciate the few who had taken the time to review, honestly, you guys are the best! But, I had to sit down and reread my work, adjusting and adding some small tidbits here and there. Hopefully it's better now than before._

_Thank you, all!_


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